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By: Brad Neal, Published on February 8, 2018 03:34 PM, Last Update on February 8, 2018 12:35 PM

A coalition of organizations in British Columbia are combining to push for ride-sharing to be introduced in the province. Eight groups make the collaboration and want companies like Uber to running in B.C. as soon as possible.

Among the organizations involved at the BC Business Council, Vancouver Board of Trade, and Canadian National Institution for the Blind and US-based ride-hailing giant Lyft. In a news release this week, the coalition said it has created a campaign to write letters to politicians to lobby for ride-hailing legislation to be created.

The group believes introduction of ride-hailing will provide competition “that can deliver much-needed choice to B.C. passengers.”

British Columbia has been working on ride-sharing legislation for over two years and has promised a “made in B.C.” solution. That suggested a unique approach to tackle insurance and concerns from the traditional taxi industry. Despite the promise, B.C.’s legislation has never seen the light of day.

“The B.C. government appears to be moving toward a model that would simply replace the taxi monopoly with a one-app monopoly that favours taxis,” Tostenson says in the release.

Other members of the coalition include the BC Chamber of Commerce, Vancouver Economic Commission, Finger Food Studios, the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association and the Urban Development Institute.

Anne McMullin of the Urban Development Institute says communities want more transportation alternatives and rely on affordable solutions:

“The Urban Development Institute is strongly encouraging the B.C. government to follow the lead of over 40 other Canadian jurisdictions that already benefit from ride-sharing, and take immediate action to introduce a framework to enable a competitive market for ride-sharing that increases choice for passengers,” McMullin says.